Shloka 29

Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 13 — Kīcaka’s Proposition and Draupadī’s Dharmic Refusal

Devanagari script

शलाकानखपातैश्न पादोदधूतैश्न दारुणै: । जानुभिश्नचाश्मनिर्घोषै: शिरोभि श्चावघट्टनै:,कभी वे रोषपूर्वक अंगुलियोंके नखोंसे एक-दूसरेको बकोटते। कभी पैरोंसे उलझाकर दोनों दोनोंको गिरा देते। कभी घुटने और सिरसे टक्कर मारते; जिससे पत्थर टकरानेके समान भयंकर शब्द होता था

Transliteration

śalākā-nakha-pātaiś ca pādod-dhūtaiś ca dāruṇaiḥ | jānubhiś ca aśma-nirghoṣaiḥ śirobhiś cāvaghaṭṭanaiḥ ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。憤怒に駆られ、彼らは棘のように鋭い爪で互いを掻きむしり、荒々しい足払いで絡め取って倒し、さらに膝で打ち、頭突きでぶつかり合った。その音は石と石が衝突するかのごとく凄まじく—節制ではなく怒りに導かれた闘争の相であった。

Word by Word

शलाका-नख-पातैःwith the falls/strikes of (their) nail-like spikes (i.e., nails like needles)

पाद-उदधूतैःwith (them) shaken/struck by the feet

दारुणैःterrible, fierce

जानुभिःwith (their) knees

चand

अश्म-निर्घोषैःwith stone-like crashing sounds

शिरोभिःwith (their) heads

चand

अवघट्टनैःwith collisions/strikings (buttings)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger (roṣa) degrades conduct into brutal, uncontrolled violence; it implicitly contrasts such rage-driven fighting with the ideal of disciplined strength and self-restraint expected in dharmic behavior.

What is happening in the narrative?

A fierce hand-to-hand struggle is being described: the fighters claw with nails, trip and throw with their feet, and collide with knees and heads, creating a terrifying sound like stones striking together.